Ludwig van Beethoven

String Quartet E flat major op. 127

The E-flat major String Quartet, op. 127, is a key work not only in Beethoven’s Oeuvre but in the entire history of the genre. The first of the late quartets, it "transfers the formal and symbolic aspects of his two major works for chorus and orchestra [the Missa solemnis and the Ninth Symphony] to the more intimate domain of chamber music" (William Kinderman). For years, music lovers have been waiting for a new edition based on the scholarly text from the new Beethoven Gesamtausgabe. The wait has paid off! The highly complex source situation was examined for the first time and thus Beethoven’s "final intentions" are now available in an urtext edition. The set of parts (HN 740) and the score (HN 9740) both come with a detailed preface and editorial notes.﻿

Henle have given us their customarily precise and scholarly reconstruction of this quartet. ...The 17 by 24 cm score has a spacious layout of no more than 16 staves per page (four parts bracketed together) and is easily readable, making an indispensable tool for rehearsals. The parts are cleverly arranged so that three pages unfold where necessary; for example in the long slow movement where there are barely any rests.Henle acknowledges that it does not have all the answers to Beethoven's many discrepancies and unconventional styles of notation, but nevertheless motivates us to confront this magnificent work more deeply and to seek the composer's true intent.[Music Teacher Magazine online, 2004]